Slightly Left of Centre
by Snake99a
Summary: Naruto, after his early years of neglect and hatred from the villagers is damaged both physically and mentally. It affects him in many ways and he will be forever changed. His trauma leaves him in the hands of Inoichi Yamanka as he tries to help Naruto recover. How will this incident change him?


**A/N: Haven't done any writing in a while and I was bored. Interpret this prelude however you want because I haven't fully decided which direction it will go, but it will be based with Naruto being psychologically aided by Inoichi as a result of his trauma. Give me a review and some insight on what you think you would like to see extra so I can get the ball rolling on this thing.**

Pain.

It was the only thought that blared through my head. It was a tidal wave that kept pushing and pulling over my entire body. The pain was so powerful that I couldn't even open my eyes to figure out where here was.

I could feel I was lying on a cool metal surface, I suddenly thought it still wasn't as hard as my mattress back home, that was as hard as brick, as these thoughts rushed through my head pain crushed them back into my sub-conscious and the cool surface under me did nothing to alleviate the all-encompassing agony seeping through me.

I attempt to open my eyes but they are sore and resistant to my commands, I slowly tear them open through sheer will and am nearly blinded by the piercing white lights shining onto me. My vision is extremely blurry, but I make out figures in white above me, they seem to be all moving about around me.

As my vision comes back to me my picture of the commotion above me sharpens. There are five people, and they seem to staring at me by there stances, they have blood all-over their white clothing, they must be doctors or something, strong green light emits from their hands.

I cannot see their faces, except one. A woman, who is leaning directly next to my head. she has a look of complete concentration marring her beautiful features. She has an angular face, straight nose, high cheek bones and mesmerising aqua-coloured eyes with a few strands of platinum blonde hair framing the angelic picture, the rest is tied up in a pony-tail.

For a moment, the pain disappears from me, I had never seen a girl that was so pretty in my life. I am still staring at her when I realise her concentration is then split between whatever she was working on as she sees that I am looking directly at her. Our eyes meet and I see something in them that confuses me, it looks like fear, but I know all about that. No this emotion I have only experienced from one person in all my days of existence. It was concern. In my brief moment of respite I ask myself why would she possibly be concerned for me.

She suddenly tears her gaze from mine and starts speaking hurriedly with the other white figures above me, what could they possibly be talking about?

Finally I stop looking up and slightly lift my head to look at myself, it hurts so much to do so and my short respite from the pain is crushed and as it again washes over me I then take in my surroundings much better without the lights glaring at me. What I see doesn't quite register properly with me. My entire body is bloodied with unimaginable gore, I look like a mangled corpse.

Panic.

With that dose of reality with a side of immense suffering my brain goes into overdrive, sounds are finally being picked up by my ears, I can't tell what's being said because there are too many voices, but I hear the commanding yet calming voice of the pretty woman "he's awake! We have to put him to sleep he is going to go into shock with possible traumatic repercussions"

I lose thought of everything, including the concerned angel and attempt to scream, my voice doesn't seem to be working and it comes out as a gurgled rasp. I keep trying and my voice finally works and I yell for the only person I can.

" JIJI!" I scream with utter terror "Help me please Jiji! Please Help it hurts it hurts!" I kept yelling and yelling, the white figures and the woman try to calm me but fail miserably, all they can do is keep operating on me.

I close my eyes and keep yelling for the old man until I feel a powerful presence by my side. I know its him, and my yells retreat back into me. I open my eyes again and stop thrashing about and stare up at the most familiar face I know. My jiji, who is old with wrinkles across his face dressed in his usual robes and pointy hat, his aged brown eyes stare at me with the only semblance of love I had ever experienced. I calm down and we continue staring at each other.

"Everything will be alright my child, rest" he place his hand on my forehead and the torture my body endures is greatly lessened, my eyes become heavy once again, and before the darkness takes me I utter "Why jiji, it hurts so much".

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, the Professor and regarded throughout the elemental nations as the God of Shinobi, a title only given to Senju Hashirama the Shodaime Hokage and Rikkudo Sennin, the founder of the shinobi arts before him, released a tear from his left eye.

Before him lay his surrogate grandson that he loved dearly, Uzumaki Naruto. For Hiruzen, his innate sense of chakra allowed him to feel his grandsons plight and it tore him apart. The sheer agony that he saw in the blonde boys enticing sapphire eyes burdened him like no other. He had suffered through countless battles and three world wars, he had seen the deaths of hundreds and killed thousands in his long life. He had witnessed the decapitations, burnings, electrocutions and crushing's of his comrades and had the will to fight on.

But this was something that stabbed deep within himself. This was a pain and burden he had not ever thought he would suffer. His own villagers, that he had fought for, bleed for and even killed for had lowered themselves to such treachery as to torture and attempt to kill a 6 year old boy.

Hiruzen stood over Naruto as he lay sleeping in a special wing of the Konoha Hospital that was solely for the use of the Hokage. It was heavily guarded and had the best medical facilities in the village. The boy was lying in the hospital bed as the Hokage deliberated over one of the most horrid days of his long, long life.

The surgery was a success, as a result of his best medics and the healing powers of the boy's birthright as well as the power of his demonic burden. He had nearly died numerous times throughout the process and Hiruzen could only watch. For all his power, accomplishments and vast resources as the Hokage, he could only watch as the boy bled in the surgery room. He had felt ashamed. When the boy had suddenly awoken, his screams for his help had been imprinted on his soul and he would forever hear them in the back of his mind till the end of his days.

He could only hope that the boy's parents would forgive him when he reached the afterlife, it was his duty to protect the boy and he couldn't even do that. He was the Hokage damn it! As all these thoughts filtered through his mind the boy his mind was in turmoil over slowly begun to awaken.

The boy had shockingly golden-blonde hair and big blue eyes, just like his father Hiruzen thought. What put them a part though, were the three whisker like indentations on each of his cheeks that made him akin to a fox. The boys afformentioned eyes opened and slowly took in his surroundings, when he finally came to he looked at Hiruzen and attempted to reach out to him but cried out in pain.

Hiruzen dashed closer to the bed and gently stopped the boy, "You mustn't move around child, you have suffered many wounds" Naruto grasped Hiruzen tightly, and ignored the pain as he cried into his grandfathers arms. Hiruzen hugged him back and let the boy cry. For a few minutes the boy cried and hugged the Hokage until he was out of breath and once again succumbed to sleep.

Hiruzen gently laid the boy back into the hospital bed when two of his ANBU appeared behind him kneeling. " Hokage-sama, the council has been assembled and are questioning the chain of events that have occurred"

Hiruzen turned around and stood up straight, sometimes he really hated being the Hokage, all he wanted to do was stay with the boy and protect him, but he had a village to run and an investigation to proceed with, although the clan heads and elders did need to hear what happened it didn't mean he had to like it.

"Falcon, Dog, stay here and guard this room and Naruto with your lives. I have a bad feeling about this whole situation, the villagers have never been so audacious as to physically harm Naruto, and now my faith in my own village is shaken." as he said this is keen mind finally went over the details of what happened to Naruto.

The boy had been tortured then nearly executed had it not been for his trusted ANBU dog. Why would the villagers resort to such acts? For years the villagers hatred had boiled but not to this level, they always ignored the boy like the plague. Why would they attempt this now?

"On second thought, Falcon, I need you to accompany me to the council chambers, I'm going to need you to escort Inoichi-san back here during the meeting, he will be of great assistance in aiding in Naruto's recovery and finding out all that has happened"

Both ANBU didn't say a thing, they just nodded and Dog slipped into the shadows whilst Falcon began walking out the room with Hiruzen, who was setting a fast pace.

As Hiruzen walked out the room with Falcon he looked back through the glass of the door and saw the sleeping boy, knowing he was safe Hiruzen continued on and one thought filtered into his head.

Naruto would be a changed boy, and for once Hiruzen didn't have all the answers. He swore to himself then and there that he would never fail the boy again. He saw in the boy the hope of the future, and he would go deep into the shinigami's belly before he allowed more harm to come to the boy.


End file.
